Current AEW Wrestler Recalls Turning Tony Khan Down
One of AEW's brightest young stars wasn't too interested in the promotion at first.
Daniel Garcia has admitted that he wasn't too excited about the thought of joining AEW initially.
The Jericho Appreciation Society member appeared on leader Chris Jericho's podcast to honestly assess his earliest showings in Tony Khan's promotion. According to Garcia, they "didn't feel great"; Dan's first two bouts for All Elite were as part of a tag-team with Kevin Blackwood on the 15 September and 22 September 2020 editions of Dark.
Neither was a particularly wonderful experience for him.
Similarly, matches opposite Joey Janela and Lee Johnson on Dark: Elevation in May 2021 did next-to-nothing for the future breakout star. Both led to Garcia wondering if he even wanted to sign a deal with Khan's company when Tony came knocking with papers in hand.
How's that for honesty?
Khan asked if Daniel would like to work the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in 2021, but he "said no" and decided to turn the AEW boss down flat. Garcia didn't actually ink a full-time deal with All Elite until October of that year.
Obviously, things have worked out well for both parties, but Dan pondered giving AEW a miss originally.